Management of remote project
Abstract
Coordination of Remote Project on Dangerous site: a cluster approach
Aid workers are subject to multiple attacks. Acting in insecure area could mean for the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) huge expenses in security management. Thereby more of them prefer use remote management to secure their international staff in a secure place. However, the remote control or remote management can lead to risk transfer to local team, wrong accountability or monitoring. Generally, whole those consequences are due to a bad planning and remote control was implemented in emergency situation. However, if it’s implemented and correctly planned in the early stage of the project it could really help the NGO to still provide aid to highly insecure area.
Moreover, all the lessons learned from the aid remote project can be adapted to general companies. The cluster approach could be one of the method to introduce a more predictable and accountable means for coordination by formalising the lead role to some specific organisation. Cluster management cycle is important to understand and implement in order to achieve the common aim. Indeed, with our virtual and globalized world companies tend to have more geographically dispersed teams. Moreover, some companies are working with university in knowledge clusters. Those teams face some of the same problems of the local aid workers. Some recommendations will be described in order to learn from the lessons of the NGO who have faced similar problems.
Contents |
Remote Project Management
Remote project management or remote control is defined as reducing or restricting movement or withdrawing internationals (or any other staff at particular risk) while shifting responsibilities for programme delivery to local staff or local partners. [1]. It was first adopted in the conflict in early 1980s. However, only few documents explained the good practice of this kind of management and how to succeed. ‘Remote control’, ‘remote support’ and ‘remote partnership’ and ‘limited access programming’ are different concept for remote management that it could be find in the literature [2]
Key Challenge
The key challenge for international NGO's is to deal with geographically dispersed team and all the consequences. They would prefer to be on the field for a more effective action but due to insecurity reasons they have to oversee the activities from another location. Thereby to continue to pursue a humanitarian imperative principle (ONCE REMOVED): getting aid to those in need as the first priority-even if it must be done from a distance. This kind of management has several negative side as risk transfer on local team or poor quality and coordination. But those are due to a short-term decision-making attitude. The cluster approach that will be explained latter resolve some of these drawbacks.
